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Maloney wins fight to increase Pentagon Cancer Research Funding

Dec 10, 2014

Press Release

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today lauded the inclusion of $50 million in funding for the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program. The funding level represents a doubling of the previous year’s funding level of $25 million. The program, created by Congress in 2009, fosters groundbreaking research on cancers relevant to service members and their families. Maloney and Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) led 20 other members in writing to congressional appropriators to request the increased funding.

“Proactive investments in cancer research will help improve prevention, detection and treatment of cancers that affect military personnel and their families,” said Maloney. “We know that certain diseases and cancers affect members of the military disproportionately because of exposure to hazardous environments during military service. This investment in the Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research program will benefit the health and well-being of our service members and their families. I am thankful that Congress will provide this important funding.”

The Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program facilitates innovative medical research that can advance our understanding of cancers that overtly affect service members and their families. I am encouraged by this important funding increase and look forward to working with my colleagues to further improve military medical care” said Fitzpatrick.

The text of Maloney and Fitzpatrick’s letter to appropriators follows:

October 31, 2014

Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky,

We write to respectfully request that the Committee adopt the $50 million funding level passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee for the Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) in as part of any omnibus spending bill for Fiscal Year 2015.

Created by Congress in Fiscal Year 2009, the PRCRP fosters groundbreaking cancer research relevant to service members and their families.

Longitudinal studies of cancer incidence have found that cancer incidence among service members and their families differ substantially from the overall population. For example, Department of Defense-published data shows that the military population has a higher incidence of melanoma, likely due to hazardous environments and intense sun exposure during deployments.

High costs for military medical care—projected to rise from $48 billion in 2014 to $70 billion in 2028—necessitate proactive investment in research to improve prevention, detection, and treatment of cancers that affect military personnel and their families. We know that the PRCRP has been effective in examining these issues through past research, and $50 million in funding will surely build on important progress.

We thank you for your consideration of this important request and would greatly appreciate your support in providing $50 million for the Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program.